Gratin Dauphinois – Creamy and Comforting Roasted Potatoes

potatoes daphaunoise

Cool weather continues to reign here in NYC, even though it’s almost mid-April.  It’s also feels kind of damp to me, which makes it seem even chillier.  Some of you might laugh when I say that temperatures in the low-60s make for chilly times, but I (like to joke that I) have thin California blood and have always found that this kind of weather produces in me an intense longing for 80-degree days.

naked potatoes

However, weather like this is perfect for roasted root vegetables – they are so comforting, plus it’s not hot enough yet to eschew your oven.  Sweet potatoes with rosemary and garlic are nice; butternut squash with thyme is also delicious; carrots, onions, and parsnips underneath a roasting chicken is truly fantastic.  However, what’s really calling me these days is gratin dauphiois – a simple dish of roasted potatoes in milk.

potatoes simmering

Contrary to popular belief, there is no cheese in this dish (though I’ve seen some recipes that ask for it).  You wouldn’t know it by just looking at it – to me, it really looks like there must be cheese in there.  What else would produce such a glorious and tasty crust? Well, it’s the starch in the potatoes that encourage this, actually.  Whoever figured this out was brilliant.

in the dish

The potatoes come out perfectly cooked – warm and creamy and smooth.  The milk/half-and-half/cream thickens from the starch.  The garlic and nutmeg add a nice hint of flavor, too.  Be sure to use a good quality milk/half-and-half/cream – preferably from grass-fed cows, which provides so much more nutrition, not to mention superior taste.  Organic potatoes are preferred because of the pesticide residue that can remain with conventionally grown potatoes; Yukon Golds would be nice.

potatoes again

As an aside, whenever I read the name of this dish, I think of the piece by the great French theorist and composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, La Dauphine.  Of course, gratin dauphinois is named after Dauphiné, a former province in southeastern France, where the dish is a specialty of that region. In any case, La Dauphine is the first piece of Rameau’s that I ever played, and it is the only solo harpsichord piece he wrote after spending his time writing operas.  It was written in the style of an improvisation, to honor the marriage between Marie-Josèphe of Saxony and Louis XV.

Gratin Dauphinois
Clotilde’s recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini

2 pounds potatoes, a mix of waxy and baking potatoes (if you prefer to use only one type, pick waxy potatoes, not too firm), preferably organic
2 cups half-and-half or whole milk (absolutely not skim milk), preferably grass-fed
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
freshly grated nutmeg
1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives (optional)
1/4 cup heavy cream, preferably grass-fed

Peel the potatoes, rinse them briefly, and slice them thinly (about 1/10th of an inch) and evenly.  Do not rinse after slicing, or you will lose all that precious starch.

Combine the sliced potatoes, milk, salt and a good grating of nutmeg in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and keep simmering for 8 minutes, stirring the potatoes and scraping the bottom of the pan regularly to prevent sticking/scorching. The milk will gradually thicken to a creamy consistency.

While the potatoes are simmering, preheat the oven to 430F and rub the bottom and sides of a medium earthenware or glass baking dish with the cut sides of the garlic clove.

Transfer half of the potatoes into the baking dish, sprinkle with the chives if using, and drizzle with half of the cream. Add the rest of the potatoes, pour the cooking milk over them, and drizzle with the remaining cream.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbly on the edges and nicely browned at the top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

I Eat Butter and Coconut Oil

Yes, it’s just like the title says:  I eat butter and coconut oil.  Often.  And with pleasure.  However, I don’t eat just any old kind – I do have my standards.

For butter, I aim for a product made from grass-fed milk.  Grass-fed butter has a higher concentration of CLA – conjugated linoleic acid.  CLA is a good fat – a natural trans fatty acid – that is believed to be an effective cancer fighter, blocking tumor growth.  It also has been shown to increase HDL (“good” cholesterol).

Animals that feed on grass have 3-5 times the amount of CLA in their system than their grain-fed pals.   So, meat and milk from grass-fed ruminants are a good source of CLA.  Pastured eggs are also rich in CLA.

There are two brands of butter that I buy regularly.  First, is Kerrygold, an Irish butter.

kerrygold

It is 100% grass-fed, and is so, so good.  I love it’s rich yellow color, its creamy texture, and delicious taste.  It’s also readily available – I can get it at the local supermarket, at independent markets, and even at Trader Joe’s.  I prefer the cultured unsalted, but will use the salted butter in a pinch.

Next, is the Organic Valley Cultured Butter.  This is in the gold wrapper with claims that their butter is made from “cows allowed to pasture freely”.  Even better, though, is the Limited Edition Pasture Butter, in the green wrapper.

pasture butter

I only got to try it this week.  It is fantastic!  The texture is… well… like butter. Smooth and creamy – it seems to melt at a lower temperature, too.  It’s a gorgeous yellow color – they use the summer milk for this butter.

I also eat raw butter, but I get that privately.

I have plans to make cultured butter in the next couple of weeks, from grass-fed cream.  I’ll certainly share my experience here when I do that.

I won’t disagree that these butters can be spendy.  But I think in their case, you really do get what you pay for.

I’m really happy to be incorporating so much butter into my diet.  For years I used it in cooking, but sparingly because of my fear of saturated fats.  Now that I can get butter that is so nutrient-dense – and have lost my fear of saturated fats – I cook with it much more regularly.  I especially like to fry eggs in butter.  It’s one of my favorite combinations.

coconut oil

Coconut oil is somewhat new to me.  For what seems like forever, I believed that coconut oil was a terrible thing to put in the body, that it would only cause harm.   Turns out that unrefined, expeller-pressed virgin organic coconut oil is quite the beneficial oil, and its goodness is vast.  The two things that stick out in my mind is coconut oil’s role in weight loss and its high levels of lauric acid.

Lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid, has apparent antimicrobial properties; coconut oil is 42% to 57% lauric acid. When you eat coconut oil, it transforms into a substance called monolaurin, which then strengthens the immune system. As far as weight loss and coconut oil goes, it’s those short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off those extra pounds. It also speeds up the body’s metabolism by removing stress on pancreas, and supports a healthy thyroid.

I also love the smell of coconut oil, and find the odor rather soothing. Last night I used it to fry up some chicken, and it was an excellent frying fat for my needs. I also use it in granola and sometimes even put a bit of it in my coffee. I am a huge fan of the taste of coconut, so I enjoy it this way. I expect it would be delicious in hot chocolate, too.

Normally I buy Barlean’s brand but I picked up a jar of Spectrum Naturals and I’ve enjoyed using it.

So, these two traditional fats are wonderful additions to the diet, plus they are available as high quality products.  Both delicious and nutritious, it would do you good to give them a try if you’re not already.  Enjoy!